Load capacity difference between gooseneck and 5th wheel?

I was lookin at some horse trailers the other night and realized that most flatbeds and horse trailers are goosenecks while most campers are 5th wheels. What gives with that? What are the advantages/dissadvantages of each? Not really important i'm just curious...

well i think the fifth wheel has more wieght capacity. The "hitch" is alot begger and thus gives better stability and strength. I thbink they go that becouse those big trailers get huge /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif and rather than go from goose-neck to fifth wheel its probly more cost efective to run the same basic "chasis". Whell theres my thoughts on it /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

My buddy has a little cattle ranch (~1000 acres) and they are pulling their stock trailer off road more than on. The gooseneck allows movement in any direction (off camber) while the 5er seems to be much more rigid. I imagine that is why utility flatbeds and horse trailers that might see some off road action are usually goosenecks while the rvs that are almost always on the road are fifth wheels. But I'm no expert so maybe somebody really knows.

5th wheel is easier to load (self centering) and more stable in many cases at the cost of loosing flexibility. It also has a larger wear surface for long term durability. Goose neck allows a great deal more flexibility, particularly side to side but is more difficult to load. Beyond that, I can’t say…

I have both in my Dodge Dually. The fifth wheel hitch I have is rated at a GVWR of 13,000 Lbs, the gooseneck is rated at 26,000 Lbs. Easy math there. Hitches vary in strength. If you saw the photos of my goosneck trailer in some previous posts (37' dovetail deck plus 9' for the hitch, 46' overall length) that trailer weighs 9,000 lbs empty and is rated at 21,000 lbs gross. I also have a 30' fifth wheel camper that weighs around 10,000 lbs empty and has a 13,000 lb gross. I hook my camper up and then put my boat behind the camper (another 3500 lbs) and end with around 15 or 16 thousand lbs being pulled on that hitch with no problem.

I think one of the complications of the fifth wheel hitch is the tounge weight. Mine has a max tongue weight of 3500 lbs. The gooseneck will take a heck of a lot more than that.

Another advantage to the gooseneck is the ability to adjust the height of the hitch in most cases. I can use mine in my 4x4 Dodge dually or can use it in my friends 2 wheel drive Furd (about 8 inches lower) and it will sit level with the adjustment of 2 bolts on the hitch that takes about 2 minutes to do.

I think the reason most people see 5th wheels in lower ratings is the target market for light trucks. 5'ers you see on campers only for the most part, so 13-15k is all they need. The lower rating makes them lighter (to keep off the GVW) and cheaper due to lighter construction. But, you can get a 5th wheel in larger ratings, you just don't see it much till you get to medium duty trucks. Goosenecks are mostly seen on haulers and farm equipment where serious weight must be hauled at least periodically, so people tend to buy to support that need. Therefore, you usually see goosenecks with much higher ratings. Due to economy of scale (and simplicity of design) it does not make sense to even make smaller rated hitches (at least I’ve not seen any).

Also, good point on adjustability, I had forgotten that... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

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